Bike Shoes that recede and turn into sneakers
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Bike Shoes that recede and turn into sneakers
How bout that? Is that possible.
Shoes that essentially fit into a metal bicycle pedals, but then you can turn them into sneakers when you want to get off the bike and walk?
Shoes that essentially fit into a metal bicycle pedals, but then you can turn them into sneakers when you want to get off the bike and walk?
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No its not really possible. SPD/Mountain bike shoes satisfy the requirements to a degree in that they have recessed cleats and are considered "walkable", yet you will still hear them click as you walk on hard ground, and the really BIG problem that you won't get around is this, cycling shoes need stiff soles, walking shoes need flexible soles.
Which is your priority?
SPD/Mountain shoes are good for cycling and OK for a short amount of walking. Just wearing your regular street shoes with toe clips and straps is good for walking and OK for some light/low intensity cycling.
Which is your priority?
SPD/Mountain shoes are good for cycling and OK for a short amount of walking. Just wearing your regular street shoes with toe clips and straps is good for walking and OK for some light/low intensity cycling.
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No its not really possible. SPD/Mountain bike shoes satisfy the requirements to a degree in that they have recessed cleats and are considered "walkable", yet you will still hear them click as you walk on hard ground, and the really BIG problem that you won't get around is this, cycling shoes need stiff soles, walking shoes need flexible sole.
Walking shoes need flexible soles? Many types of footwear designed for long-distance walking---e.g., hiking boots and combat boots---have nearly or completely inflexible soles. Once, when I found a style of mountain bike shoe that fit particularly well, I bought a second pair and left them cleatless for use in long walks and hikes.
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Shimano SPD sandels.
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Chrome Kursks or the dozens of other shoes like them are about as close as you can get. Too flexy to be "real" bike shoes, but they work for commuting and bar-hopping.
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It's an interesting thought...I'm sure if there was a bunch of money to be made with it someone would come up with a way to raise or lower the ckeat on a mountain bike shoe to avoid clicking against the ground. Some are better than others (time atac and crank brothers were a bit better than shimano) but they have a click clack sound on certain surfaces.
One of the advantages of switching to Five Ten flat bike shoes was not having to worry about it any more. They use a special rubber that grips small metal pins very well and they gave me everything I needed from clipless without the hassles of clipless. I'm not racing and the convenience of weating "regular" shoes at a destination was big for me.
One of the advantages of switching to Five Ten flat bike shoes was not having to worry about it any more. They use a special rubber that grips small metal pins very well and they gave me everything I needed from clipless without the hassles of clipless. I'm not racing and the convenience of weating "regular" shoes at a destination was big for me.
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^Truth. Five-Tens and Kona Wah-Wah pedals give you damn near clipless security.
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I have a pair of these, but they make my feet stink like crazy. It's the only shoes I have that do that, and I've only worn them less than like 10 times.
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And they didn't click when new, after some hard use on tour they are a bit worn down and now click a little bit.
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I've had a previous version of these for years- work great for anything short of the most demanding cycling,
and you could just about play tennis in them.
https://www.amazon.com/Pearl-iZUMi-X...s&sr=1-63&th=1
and you could just about play tennis in them.
https://www.amazon.com/Pearl-iZUMi-X...s&sr=1-63&th=1
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I have a pair of these and they are amazing, I have dual sided SPD pedals so I only clip in when I wish and these work incredibly well for being clipped, using the flat side, and for walking and they don't click when you're walking.
https://www.trekbikes.com/ca/en_CA/b...olorCode=black
There are options that work well for the needs the OP is looking for.
https://www.trekbikes.com/ca/en_CA/b...olorCode=black
There are options that work well for the needs the OP is looking for.
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I've had a previous version of these for years- work great for anything short of the most demanding cycling,
and you could just about play tennis in them.
https://www.amazon.com/Pearl-iZUMi-X...s&sr=1-63&th=1
and you could just about play tennis in them.
https://www.amazon.com/Pearl-iZUMi-X...s&sr=1-63&th=1
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Adidas VeloSamba, if you can find them. Nicer than most of my regular shoes.
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There is a bit of discussion here about sole stiffness. One needs to be specific what you are talking about and what PART of the sole you are talking about.
Yes, some hiking shoes have a stiff shank in the middle of the sole (under the arch), but the sole is made to bend under the ball of the foot.
For an clip-less shoe to work really well, it needs to be stiff under the ball of the foot.
I’ve got a pair of mtb shoes that are pretty comfortable to walk around it, but not as much as a non-clip-less shoe.... and they are not the greatest for long days of pedaling due to the flex in them. They are fine for both, but there are compromises.
An alternate suggestion is go with flats with a big platform. That eliminates the need for stiffness under the ball of the foot. And many hiking shoes have a stiff shank under the arch which takes care of that part of the foot. The trick is to fins ones without deep lugs, as the traction pins get lost between them.
Yes, some hiking shoes have a stiff shank in the middle of the sole (under the arch), but the sole is made to bend under the ball of the foot.
For an clip-less shoe to work really well, it needs to be stiff under the ball of the foot.
I’ve got a pair of mtb shoes that are pretty comfortable to walk around it, but not as much as a non-clip-less shoe.... and they are not the greatest for long days of pedaling due to the flex in them. They are fine for both, but there are compromises.
An alternate suggestion is go with flats with a big platform. That eliminates the need for stiffness under the ball of the foot. And many hiking shoes have a stiff shank under the arch which takes care of that part of the foot. The trick is to fins ones without deep lugs, as the traction pins get lost between them.
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Toe clips turn almost any shoe into a biking shoe.
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Sounds like a budding young entrepreneur that want's to give us another product to argue over.
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the problem of stiffness can be taken care of by using a bigger peddle. now these are made for size 13 feet but you get the idea. I can wear only somewhat stiff shoes and they are great. Now if you added clip you could have a more flexivle shoe
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You could buy a much larger pair of shoes to put over the other pair of shoes. Problem solved.
Me I am fine with Mountain bike shoes and the cleat exists and sometimes makes noise but they work fine and have enough walkability for my needs.
Me I am fine with Mountain bike shoes and the cleat exists and sometimes makes noise but they work fine and have enough walkability for my needs.
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There is a bit of discussion here about sole stiffness. One needs to be specific what you are talking about and what PART of the sole you are talking about.
Yes, some hiking shoes have a stiff shank in the middle of the sole (under the arch), but the sole is made to bend under the ball of the foot.
For an clip-less shoe to work really well, it needs to be stiff under the ball of the foot.
I’ve got a pair of mtb shoes that are pretty comfortable to walk around it, but not as much as a non-clip-less shoe.... and they are not the greatest for long days of pedaling due to the flex in them. They are fine for both, but there are compromises.
An alternate suggestion is go with flats with a big platform. That eliminates the need for stiffness under the ball of the foot. And many hiking shoes have a stiff shank under the arch which takes care of that part of the foot. The trick is to fins ones without deep lugs, as the traction pins get lost between them.
Yes, some hiking shoes have a stiff shank in the middle of the sole (under the arch), but the sole is made to bend under the ball of the foot.
For an clip-less shoe to work really well, it needs to be stiff under the ball of the foot.
I’ve got a pair of mtb shoes that are pretty comfortable to walk around it, but not as much as a non-clip-less shoe.... and they are not the greatest for long days of pedaling due to the flex in them. They are fine for both, but there are compromises.
An alternate suggestion is go with flats with a big platform. That eliminates the need for stiffness under the ball of the foot. And many hiking shoes have a stiff shank under the arch which takes care of that part of the foot. The trick is to fins ones without deep lugs, as the traction pins get lost between them.
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I've got 4 pairs of high end Scarpa hiking boots (SLs) and none of them have any real flex under the ball of the foot, they flex less than the 3 pairs of Shimano SPD shoes I have. Boots made for walking with a heavy load have nearly zero flex because they're designed to hold your foot together and give it a rolling contact area when it really wants to squish out into a burger patty. I used to test boots for Scarpa, which is why I have so many.
Hiking boots for heavy loads or off trail hiking are not what the OP is looking for or what would fill the niche of sneakers..Or what I want to ride in.
Last edited by Kapusta; 04-09-21 at 05:53 PM.
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I had a pair of 510 SPD sneakers, they were rubbish, one of the insoles broke in half mid tour, If you want flex, try riding in a shoe with the insole gaffer taped together. That and falling on my butt every time the grass was wet on a hill turned me off "sneaker" style bike shoes with out lugs. OK if you only walk on flat grippy surfaces, but anything slippery and sloping and you're into roller skate territory.
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You are the one who started talking about hiking boots.
I had a pair of 510 SPD sneakers, they were rubbish, one of the insoles broke in half mid tour, If you want flex, try riding in a shoe with the insole gaffer taped together. That and falling on my butt every time the grass was wet on a hill turned me off "sneaker" style bike shoes with out lugs. OK if you only walk on flat grippy surfaces, but anything slippery and sloping and you're into roller skate territory.
I had a pair of 510 SPD sneakers, they were rubbish, one of the insoles broke in half mid tour, If you want flex, try riding in a shoe with the insole gaffer taped together. That and falling on my butt every time the grass was wet on a hill turned me off "sneaker" style bike shoes with out lugs. OK if you only walk on flat grippy surfaces, but anything slippery and sloping and you're into roller skate territory.
No, I am NOT the one who started talking about heavy weight hiking boots. In our discussion, that was you.
And regarding deep lugs... read what I wrote. I was talking about use with flat pedals. And for that you do not want deep lugs. You actually want a very minimal tread. There is a reason that shoes designed for flat pedal use have minimal tread. Look at any pair of 5-10s or Ride Concept shoes. People have been using these to push bikes up steep dirt trails for a long time. Apparently pretty much everyone who rides mtb in flat pedals has a different take on this than you do. I’ve never once slipped and fallen in my Ride Concepts.
I own a pair of stiff hiking boots like you describe. They kind of suck to ride in IMO.
Personally, I’ll give up a little bit of grip walking on wet grass to gain a massive amount of grip on my pedals.
Last edited by Kapusta; 04-10-21 at 04:50 AM.